We’ve all seen the headlines about the coronavirus ‘incubation period’ but do you really understand what this means? We talk you through why it is so important to understand this term to gain an accurate understanding of the data, graphs and charts we’re all seeing in the news.
Take 3: Incubation period.
We’ve all seen the headlines about the coronavirus ‘incubation period’ but do you really understand what this means? We talk you through why it is so important to understand this term to gain an accurate understanding of the data, graphs and charts we’re all seeing in the news.
Welcome back to this week’s episode of Know Your Data – a series that helps you unpack the charts, tables and language that you’re seeing every day in relation to COVID-19 data, so you can figure out what it means for you right now.
In this episode, Alan Schwarz and I are going to be looking at a phrase we’re all hearing, all the time, all over the world: incubation period. This is the time between a person being infected and then showing symptoms. This means that during the incubation period, people are unknowingly contagious and risk spreading the virus to others. The length of this delay subsequently has a huge effect on how fast the disease spreads. It’s therefore vital to understand how the length of this period impacts the data we’re seeing every day and the context behind some of the numbers being reported. We hope this episode provides some clarity for those overwhelmed or confused by the data they’re seeing reported.
As always, if you want to find learn more, or would like us to discuss something you’ve seen in the media or online, do let us know via Twitter, Instagram or YouTube, and include #BeDataBrilliant in your social post. Alternatively, you can find us at [email protected]
In the meantime, please stay safe!